


Help

by CyberTurtle



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Nonbinary Character, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:14:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22407031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberTurtle/pseuds/CyberTurtle
Summary: Lorelei isn't a girl(They think)Zane helps (He hopes)
Relationships: Zane Flynt & Lorelei
Kudos: 21





	Help

Lorelei, sitting on the floor of their current base of operations, stared at the Quick Change machine like it was the solution to all her problems. Which at this point was pretty true.

Would it really be as easy as she’d said? ‘Walk in and come out a different bloke’.  
She would still have to deal with actually coming out, and she knew that they’d all be fine, hell, one of the new Vault Hunters was non-binary, but it was still daunting.

She wasn’t even sure that this was what she wanted to do. What if she regretted it? She could always go back with Quick Change, but she didn’t want to regret it.

“Careful, think any harder and you’ll hurt yourself,” a voice sounded to her right, and she blinked, looking over to see Zane walking towards her.

“What’re you doing here, you old bugger,” Lorelei called, “haven’t yous got a universe to save?”

Zane grinned as he plopped down beside her, “We’re gearing up to take down those feckin’ Calypso Twins’ ‘cathedral’,” he explained, complete with quotation marks. “Lillith told us to say our goodbyes in case we don’t come back, so here I am, with drink in tow,” at this, he shook the aforementioned drinks.

Lorelei laughed, “Sure you should be drinking before going out there?”

Zane grinned even wider, shaking his head, ”I’ve gotten into worse scraps piss drunk, I’ll be fine. Besides!” He laughed, and turned to her, flicking his thumb to point back at his face, “Do you really think those cubs could lay a finger on this feckin’ handsome mug?”

“I guess I should defer to your experience then,” Lorelei smirked, chuckling.

They both sat in comfortable silence, drinking, before Zane sighed and began, “I saw the way you were looking at the machine over there.” Lorelei span towards him, eyes wide, before Zane looked forward and continued, “I’m trans too, y’know. Was born a lass.”

Lorelei blinked, looking at Zane, and he smiled, “Was the only reason I got out of the stupid feckin’ names me brothers had. Barely even remember whatever shite name I had originally.

Lorelei’s mouth opened and shut, as she struggled to find her words, “H-How did you know? That you were t-trans?”

Clicking his tongue, Zane squinted, “Didn’t really have too much of that...” he tilted his head back, “what the feck was the word… dysphoria, I think. Never really hated being a lass, just preferred being a fella. It was… like bein’ colourblind, you wouldn’t notice that something was wrong until it was fixed and suddenly everything clicks into place”   
Turning back towards her, Zane stared her in the eyes, “And sometimes that's all it has to be. I didn’t realise I was trans until I dressed up as a cub for a job. Sometimes you never know unless you try, so try.” He blinked, “Not now of course, unless ye’ want ta’”

Lorelei looked down, he was right but… “What if I change my mind? What if I’m not trans?” she asked.

“Well then, you can change back. No one’ll think less of ye’ for doing this, and if they do, I’ll give ‘em a kick up the arse,” Zane grinned, before his smile became more somber. “It doesn’t matter if you’re trans or not, you’re you, and if you tryin’ a different body out helps make you the real you, then I’m all for it.”

Still looking down, Lorelei smiled, before standing up and striding over to the Quick Change machine. Zane was right, there was only one way to find out, and they’d be damned before they let themselves be a coward. 

Zane grinned, picking himself up, and jogging over to the machine too. He watched as Lorelei operated the Quick Change before their body was encompassed in a flash of light. When it died down, there stood Lorelei, noticeably more androgynous and with noticeably less breasts. 

Zane’s smile widened at the obvious glee on Lorelei’s face, and spoke up, “Now all that’s left is pronouns, and a new name, if you want one.” Ah, this retirement plan was shaping up to be even better than he’d though.

“I think I’ll stick with Lorelei, thanks. And I’m non-binary, they/them.” Lorelei’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Zane had been right, it does feel like everything had clicked into place.

“Well, now we can get to the fun part.” Zane walked up to the machine, pressed a few buttons, and turned to Lorelei, “Now that I’ve got a fellow human trans, we can get weird with clothes here.”

He was engulfed in light just before Lorelei’s stomach sank, their eyes widened, and they threw an arm in front of their face a split second after the light died down. “Bloody hell, you fucker, I don’t want to see any of your fucking wrinkly balls.”

Zane laughed uproariously before another flash of light, and Lorelei called out, “Have you got clothes on now, you old geezer? I’ve seen enough of that shit for one lifetime.”

“Oh, quit your whinging, you could barely see anything. Just because you’re too yella’ for a little fun.” As he was speaking, Lorelei dropped their arm to see Zane was wearing their outfit, with more cleavage. “C’mon, join the fun, we can get freaky here with this. You wanna see what Rhys looks like with tits?"

**Author's Note:**

> First work, criticism is welcome, but don't be an ass.  
> I just hope I conveyed Lorelei and Zane's accents well


End file.
